The invention relates to a method for locking a gun that includes a firing pin. Further, the invention relates to a locking arrangement for a pinlock of a gun.
According to the new law on firearms, firearms must be locked when they are being stored. Guns can be stored for instance in a locked closet, or their pinlock can be removed and kept in a locked place; the trigger can be locked either by means of a separate locking arrangement, or the gun can be locked in a wall rack at the trigger guard.
As such, keeping guns in a locked closet is a good way to prevent the guns from getting into wrong hands, for instance to those of children or burglarsxe2x80x94but on the other hand, it is fairly easy to break into closets, whereafter the guns are available in full readiness for usage. Likewise, the removing of the pinlock makes a gun unusable as such, but still it is fairly easy to break into locked closets. Various trigger locking arrangements are also easily broken or drilled open, so that the gun is made fully operable. The object of the invention is to realise a locking method and arrangement whereby a gun can be locked so that it becomes impossible to use them without authorisation. In particular, the object of the invention is to realise a locking arrangement that cannot be broken without breaking the gun at the same time, i.e. that cannot be forced open so that the gun remains operable.
The method and locking arrangement according to the invention are defined by what is specified in the appended claims.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for locking a gun that includes a firing pin a lock cylinder provided with a lock cylinder bracket. The method includes providing the firing pin with a recess that essentially conforms to the lock cylinder bracket both in shape and in size, and that wherein the bracket has at least two positions including a first position and second position, and that in the first position, the bracket is fitted in the recess, so that the firing pin is movable towards the lock cylinder; and that in the second position, the bracket is not fitted in the recess, thereby preventing the firing pin from moving towards the lock cylinder, so that it locks the gun.
According to another aspect of the invention a locking arrangement is provided for a pinlock of a gun. The locking arrangement comprises: a lock cylinder provided with a bracket, and a firing pin that is provided with a recess that essentially conforms to the lock cylinder bracket both in shape and in size. The bracket has at least two positions including a first position and second position. In the first position, the bracket is fittable in the recess, and the firing pin is movable towards the lock cylinder. In the second position, the bracket is not fittable in the recess, thus preventing the firing pin from moving towards the lock cylinder, so that it locks the gun and prevents the cocking thereof.
The locking arrangement according to the invention can advantageously be applied to rifles and more particularly to rifle pinlocks. The purpose of a rifle pinlock is, among others, to lock the cartridge in the cartridge chamber.
The locking arrangement according to the invention is simple and has few moving parts, wherefore it is well resistant to treatment in various weather conditions, for instance in rain or in temperatures below zero.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said lock cylinder can neither be removed from the gun by force, so that the gun should remain in working order, nor opened without a device designed for opening said locking arrangement. Advantageously the device designed for opening the arrangement is a key, whereby the lock cylinder bracket can be arranged in its different positions. Thus the locking arrangement according to the invention fulfils the requirements stipulated in the law on firearms as regards the locking of guns. Moreover, for the owner of a gun the arrangement according to the invention is easy to use, because all he needs to do is to remove the key or other device designed for opening the lock.
In appearance, said device can be made similar to ordinary keys, for instance Abloy(copyright) keys, in which case the key can be kept for example in a key ring or in the office, and it is impossible for other people to notice that the key belongs to a gun.
A particular advantage of the locking arrangement according to the invention is that the gun remains locked also during transportation, without any extra locking systems. When desired, the gun can be swiftly arranged to operating condition.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the key or other device cannot be removed from the lock cylinder, when the bracket is in its first position.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said key or other device can be removed from the lock cylinder when the bracket is in its first position. Obviously, if the key can be removed from the lock cylinder when the gun is in use, it is advantageous to cover the keyhole with a protection known as such in the prior art for protecting the lock cylinder against dirt and moisture. According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the key comprises two parts that can be detached from each other. This embodiment is described in more detail below.
Further, the locking arrangement according to the invention can be arranged in a gun already at the manufacturing stage, or it can be installed afterwards in a ready-made gun, so that for instance the butt end of the lock and the firing pin are replaced. Thus the arrangement according to the invention can be applied in a very versatile fashion.
For a man skilled in the art, it is apparent that the locking method and arrangement according to the invention can also be realised so that the firing pin is provided with a bracket, and the lock cylinder is provided with a recess that essentially conforms to said bracket both in shape and in size.